East Syracuse — More than 150 members of the East Syracuse Minoa community gathered on March 5 for the fourth annual ESM Education Foundation Dinner-Dance and inducted two alumni to the Wall of Distinction.
ESM alumni William “Bill” Brazill, class of ’78, and Jared Susco, class of ’98, were inducted to the ESM Wall of Distinction at the event, which was held at Traditions at the Links in East Syracuse.
“I’m deeply honored,” said Susco. “ESM has quite a fond place in my heart and when I think about the formative experiences, I’m lucky to say I experienced them at ESM.”
“I truly humbled and honored to have received this award. I went to school and raised my kids here in this community. I just love ESM,” said Brazill. “I never threw a touchdown pass or acted in a play so to be named to the Wall of Distinction is unbelievable.”
The event also raised funds for the ESM Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that has provided about $119,000 in grants for the ESM school district. Just in 2015 alone, the Education Foundation has contributed funds to several projects, including a water bottle filling station, an Earth Science symposium, a “Full STEAM Ahead program,” a musical theatre program at East Syracuse Elementary, the ESM Engineering Club robot and rocket projects and many more.
The ESM Education Foundation created the Wall of Distinction in 2014 to recognize distinguished alumni, staff and community members of the ESM school district who serve as role models for today’s students and demonstrate the importance of making a contribution to society, community or their field of work.
Brazill has served as deputy mayor for the village of Minoa since 2002 and as its fire commissioner since 2003. He is a current member of the Town of Manlius Critical Response Committee. In addition, he served a decade as Minoa’s acting village justice. He will be seeking election as mayor of Minoa on March 15.
continued — Brazill volunteered 12 years with the Minoa Kirkville Athletic Association (MKAA), later re-named ESM Youth Sports. His service included a four-year term as president and he was instrumental in not only the name change, but merging several sports into one unified organization. His community service also includes a term as president of the ESM Sports Booster Club and eight years on the board of managers for the East Area Family YMCA.
In 2002 Brazill received the General Douglas MacArthur Youth Award for exemplary service to the youth of New York State. In 2006 he received the George Rees Memorial Award for dedication to the youth of the ESM community.
Brazill said one of his most formative experiences while at ESM was when his history teacher, Noel van Swol, brought a group of students to see the 1976 presidential candidates Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford when they visited Syracuse, which Brazill said got him interested in politics.
“I would say make the most of your time and all of the opportunities you have at ESM,” said Brazill when asked what advice he would give to current students.
Susco is the chief operating officer for the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers in Camden, N.J. As second in command and chief of staff of the community-based healthcare system, he is responsible for program execution, strategic realization and organizational capacity.
While he was an undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Susco taught in inner-city schools and tutored students.
After working in marketing for PepsiCo, he served with the Peace Corps in Paraguay as a rural economic development volunteer. Susco then studied in Israel and now knows five languages. He later earned an MBA from Emory University, where he received several awards, including being named top student in his concentration.
Susco’s also served as a brand manager for Campbell Soup Company and two positions at the University of Pennsylvania as director of operations and administration for the undergraduate division of Wharton School and assistant dean of finance for Penn Dental Medicine.
continued — While accepting his award, Susco spoke of how his time at ESM shaped him into the person he is today. He points to joining and being part DECA, a business club, where he served as representative to the state in his senior year.
“I feel like a lot of what I gained to become a leader was taught to me at ESM,” Susco. “I got a taste of what it was like to be a leader and to serve a cause … I think everyone should put themselves into experiences where they don’t feel comfortable and to take risks, because you learn a lot from those experiences.”
The Wall of Distinction is given on a biennial basis. Brazill and Susco join the inaugural induction in 2014, which honored Russ Brandon (’85), the president and CEO of the Buffalo Bills, and Tom Richardson (’81), the longtime director of Parks and Recreation for the village of East Syracuse.
To learn more about the ESM Education Foundation, go to esmef.org.
